Flexible nib?

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WillieD

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While I've made several thousand pens over the last 30 years, I've only made around a dozen fountain pens. Obviously, I don't know much about them.

I have a customer that has requested a fountain pen with a flexible nib. As I was unsure what he considers flexible, I asked if he had a brand of pen that has the flexibility he wants. He said Pelican has what he likes.

Here's question #1, does anyone know how a pelican nib would compare to the standard nib on a Jr. Gentleman II?

Question #2, what other source options are there for nibs for the Jr. Gent?

Thanks!
 
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It all depends on when the Pelikan pen he is talking about was made, earlier Pelikans that had a flexible nib, the nib was made by Pelikan themselves and there is no modern day equivalent made. The newer and today's Pelikans are made with Bock nibs, flexibility has pretty much gone out the window, as I have yet to see a modern day Bock or JoWo nib that has the flexibility of the old nibs. Now some of the modern Japanese nibs, that's another story.
 
Back a year or so ago when Lou Metcalf was still around and supplying his Heritage flex steel nibs we had a nib that fit our component sets well. Were they a real flex nib? I never saw much flex in them but others did. I had a number of them until a few weeks ago but shipped them to Mike at Indy Pen Dance so you might contact him
 
Even the Heritance nibs are not a real flex, they are more of a semi-flex at best. A good flex nib would be able to go from a fine on the cross stroke to bold on the down. To get a good flex nib today, it has to be ground by someone that really knows what they are doing. About your only option that I know of it to contact Richard Binder. He can take a Pelikan nib and give it full flex. The cost of the nib with this service is $158. On a full flex nib the user needs to really know what they are doing or they can easily spring the nib. Linda has one of Richard's full flex nibs and she really can make that thing dance.
 
As Joe and Mike and I said even the Heritance Flex Steel nib didn't have much flex, some of you might have gotten a thank you note from Linda that was writen with one of Richard Binders grindings, that is what a flex nib should write like...
 
I do think that the Heritance will be the closest thing to a flex nib that you will find for a component set. If Ed & Dawn or Mike & Linda don't have a Heritance Flex laying around, send me a PM. I can likely "dig up" one or two.
 
If his customer is talking about a Pelikan nib and it is a vintage or even pre 1980, then the Heritance wouldn't even come close to making his customer remotely happy. Also if the customer is talking Pelikan then he is use to paying a good price for a quality nib. Stock nibs for Pelikan such as a M600 or M800 is generally in the $180 range. If the customer really wants the kind of flex like a Pelikan, I have a couple 18k Heritance nibs that can be ground by Richard to achieve a full flex. The problem is this is better done on a 14k nib rather than an 18k as the 18k is much softer and a bigger chance of the customer springing the nib.

After giving this some thought, I would talk with the customer and ask if they are looking for a vintage feel full flex. One that gives significant line variation. If that is what he is looking for then find out what they want to spend. If they are serious then I would look into a 14k nib from The Golden Nib (Anthony T) and have the nib ground for full flex. Otherwise a Heritance semi-flex nib will give about a .4mm varience on the down stroke.
 
After giving this some thought, I would talk with the customer and ask if they are looking for a vintage feel full flex. One that gives significant line variation. If that is what he is looking for then find out what they want to spend. If they are serious then I would look into a 14k nib from The Golden Nib (Anthony T) and have the nib ground for full flex. Otherwise a Heritance semi-flex nib will give about a .4mm varience on the down stroke.

Good advice, Mike. I hear the "vintage" and "flex" terms bantied about by customers regularly. Keeping in mind that I do art shows, not pen shows, my customers want a "fine point". So I assume that customers won't pay even $100 for a nib upgrade, much less hundreds.

I often forget others are in other markets and their customers might gladly pay $300 or more for a truely flexible or hand ground nib. The hand ground 14k would be a good workable alternative.
 
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The key with anything is get to know your customer. Kind of like the analogy that was used the other day. Guy wants to buy a car. There is a wide range of cars. Pretty hard to sell him a Jag when is can only afford and is looking for a Yugo. You can also turn it the other way to, if you are a Yugo salesman the customer isn't going to talk BMW with you either. So find out what they are looking for then move towards what best suits them.
 
Wow! Thanks for all the great advice. I'll talk with my customer again and now feel that you've given me enough info to ask the right questions.
 
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